The following material is based upon a hunch. I have no proof and I don't intend to put this information forward as anything other than an idea I came up with. It is put together in an effort to compare Biblical data with known scientific data. I am not a scientist but I do enjoy the world around us and all the things God has given us to wonder over. I hope you will accept this in the same manner that I have desired to present it.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; . . .
If you do the math on Revelation 5:11 you find that there are at least 100 million angels. Angels are in heaven and on earth and they can travel back and forth between the two. But, we cannot see these angels unless God allows us to see them. How can this be? I have my own theory which I present to you here. It is only a theory so please take it in that manner. If you take time to read through the following material you will at least understand the world around you much better.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
The word, LET, means to allow under controlled conditions. In the old days when someone was sick they would "let blood." They would allow a small amount of blood to be bled from the person's body.
The word, THERE, refers to a place. We might say, "Go THERE for dinner." Or, "We came here from THERE."
When God said, "LET THERE be light," He was permitting a measured amount of light to be placed in a given spot in His universe.
In the beginning, as we know it, everything was without form and void. Without form means, nothing had any order to it. Void means there was no energy source. Everything was dead - still - at rest.
When God said, "Let - There - be Light," the world, as we know it, took form. Every single electron began spinning around the nucleus of its atom at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). Considering how small an atom is, that's a mighty fast spin. The amazing thing about everything so far is this: Not a single one of those electrons has even begun to slow down. Each electron is still spinning at the same speed it spun at on the first day of creation. When God spoke those words, He placed a small bit of eternity into each atom.
Something which never changes is eternal. Everything we see around us in the physical world is in a constant state of change but the atomic makeup of our world is not changing, not temporal, but, eternal - given by God from His eternal throne.
There seems to be a definite relationship between light, or the absence of it, and form, or the absence of it (void).
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
There are many references throughout God's Word that seem to connect the presence of light with the existence of matter. I won't include them here but you can easily find them yourself by using a concordance.
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
God not only forms light and places it where He wishes, He also creates darkness. It is as if there are some places where God says, "Let there NOT be light." How can He do this? Just the opposite from the way he provided our earth with light - by starting the electrons to spin around the nucleus of each atom. In order to remove light, He simply does what he wishes with the atoms. Outer darkness is also one of His creations.
What is light as we know it?
Light is a form of energy. Other forms of energy that we recognize are motion, heat, and electrical energy. Energy of motion is what we know as momentum. When school boys play baseball we see energy in the form of motion. The pitcher transfers energy into the ball when he throws it toward the boy at bat. Kinetic energy keeps the ball traveling toward the batter. The batter swings at the ball with the bat. At this point we have energy in the ball, traveling toward the bat, and, energy in the bat, traveling toward the ball. When the two meet, the energy in the ball is transferred into the bat and then back into the ball, along with the energy already contained in the bat. The combination of both sources of energy causes the ball to travel much farther than the pitcher could have thrown it.
Heat energy is the source of energy that moves your automobile. The gasoline inside the cylinders of your car's engine is ignited by a spark, and explodes. The heat from the explosion expands the gases in the cylinder, pushing the piston down. Now the energy has been converted from heat, into motion. The moving piston turns the crankshaft which is connected to the wheels.
Electrical energy is brought about when we actually cause electrons to move from one atom to another, through a wire at roughly the speed of light. When the wire is made of tungsten and is very fine, it becomes very hot when the electrons flow through it. The extreme heat causes the wire to glow very bright, emitting light. This is what happens with a light bulb. A light bulb converts electrical energy back into light energy.
All energy originally comes from light energy. We receive most of our energy from the sun. As an example of how energy from the sun is used let's follow a simple illustration: The sun shines down onto the ocean (75% of the earth's surface). The ocean water is heated causing it to change from liquid into a vapor. The vapor floats within the air as it moves over a land mass. As the air rises over the land mass the temperature drops causing the vapor to condense on dust particles creating clouds. When the clouds become saturated they begin to release the condensed water in the form of snow or rain. The snow and rain eventually find their way to a river where they pass through a hydro-electric dam generating electrical energy. The electrical energy can be used to run a motor (motion) or a light bulb (light), or an electric stove (heat).
So, when God said, "Let there be light," He was putting everything in order and providing us with everything we needed to survive on this earth.
What is the light that we see?
When you look at the multi-colored world around us you are viewing light energy. We generally see light as what is commonly called reflected light. When the sun's light hits a red rose in a vase on the table where we are sitting, our eyes send a message to our brain and provide us with a picture of that red rose. When we look at the stem and the leaves we see different shades of green instead of red. These different colors are caused by light energy of different frequencies. A frequency is similar to a vibration or a wave.
If a boy throws a stone into a pool of water what happens? The stone possesses energy imparted from the boy's arm. When it enters the water the energy in the stone is transferred into kinetic energy necessary to move the water away from the area where the stone is entering the pool. As the stone falls beneath the surface the water releases its energy by moving back into the empty spot where the stone entered the pool. In the process, we notice ripples radiating from that point.
The light from the sun is doing very much the same thing as it strikes the petals of the rose. The light energy coming from the sun is like the stone. When it enters the surface of the rose petals it strikes the atoms, releasing energy into these atoms. When an atom receives energy this way it must do something with that energy and it reacts by pushing its electrons further away from the center of the atom. Electrons move from their comfort zone into the next level of outer electrons. This is called a quantum leap. But, because these electrons are no longer in their comfort zone they immediately jump back into the layer where they belong. When this happens they release that excess energy in the form of light energy. When that light energy enters our eyes we recognize it as the red color of the rose.
You may be asking yourself, "What does this have to do with why we probably can't see angels." We are getting closer to the answer but first we need to make sure we understand what matter is and why it is important.
What is matter?
Everything that we have in the physical world is what we call matter. When we look at a clock we are looking at matter. When we eat a peanut-butter sandwich, we are eating matter. All matter can be broken down. If you cut your sandwich into two pieces you are beginning to break down matter. If you continue to cut and cut and cut, you soon reduce that matter down to what we call a molecule.
A molecule is the smallest particle we can reduce matter down to without changing its characteristics. As an example, one molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. If you try to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen you will no longer have water but you will have two separate gases: Oxygen, which we need to breath in order to remain alive, and, hydrogen which can be used to make a blimp lift off the ground, or, to cause an explosion.
Another example is salt. One molecule of salt consists of one atom of sodium and one atom of chlorine. We need salt to stay alive, but don't let sodium get into your body alone or you will die. The same thing will happen if you drink chlorine. Isn't that something!
The point here is that, after we go below the level of a molecule, we reach the atomic world. Atoms are the building blocks of all matter. The most important parts of an atom are its protons and electrons. The proton abides in the nucleus, or center, of the atom and is about 1800 times as heavy as an electron which can be found spinning around the perimeter of the nucleus. In every atom there are the same number of protons as there are electrons.
If we look at an atom of hydrogen we find that it is the most simple of all atoms. An atom of hydrogen only has one proton in the center and one electron spinning around the perimeter. Now, here is the interesting thing about atoms: If we were to take a hydrogen atom and begin enlarging it until the proton in the center was the size of a basketball, the electron would be a bit smaller, and much lighter than a golf ball. And, this small golf ball would be TWELVE MILES out - away from the basketball. Have you ever walked twelve miles? That's a long way. Imagine holding a basketball in your hand while a golf ball spins around you, twelve miles away, at 186,000 miles per second. I tried golfing once and gave up because I had a hard time seeing the ball fly through the air after I hit it. Imagine trying to see a golf ball twelve miles away.
So, you are asking, what does this have to do with why we probably can't see angels? Just keep this fact in mind: In the atomic world (the world around us), everything consists of MOSTLY EMPTY SPACE. If everything is made up of atoms, and if the particles of an atom are spaced so far apart - our world is mostly empty space.
In our example of the basketball and the golf ball, the basketball takes up about 900 cubic inches of space and the golf ball takes up about two cubic inches of space. The golf ball is circling around a spherical area consisting of 1,841,102,014,452,310,200 cubic inches of space - empty space. Simplified, that is more than 1,841 trillion cubic inches. The total combined cubic space taken up by the basket ball and the golf ball is less than 1000 cubic inches. When we say an atom is made up of mostly empty space we mean it is thousands of trillions of times more empty than it is full.
Albert Einstein discovered the relationship between energy, and the speed of light in the early 1900's. He understood that, even though the chair you may be sitting on is 1800 trillion times as much empty space as it is particles, it contains light energy. He understood that although your body is made up of 1800 trillion times as much empty space is it is made up of particles, your body comes to rest when you sit down on the chair instead of passing through the chair's empty space.
If the chair is mostly empty space and your body is mostly empty space what is stopping the particles of your body from falling between the particles in the chair and falling to the ground the same way that rain falls through the air on its way from a cloud, down to the ground? The answer lies in the energy charge imparted into each atom. The protons at the center of each atom contain a positive charge equal to the total negative charge of all the electrons spinning around the atom. In other words, each atom is enclosed within a field of negatively charged electrons.
When the negative field of the electrons in your body comes into contact with the negative field of the electrons in the chair they repel each other. You may remember from science class that opposite charges (+ and -) attract each other, and like charges (- and -) repel each other. Therefore, your body can only come close to the surface of the chair. You feel the pressure against your behind as you sit down on the chair but what you are really feeling is the repelling forces existing between the electrons in the chair and the electrons in your body. These forces are equal and opposing and that prevents one object from passing through another object.
Now, if you have a basic understanding of how light and matter work together it is time to proceed with the answer to why we probably can't see angels.
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
Have you ever wondered about this verse? How is it that gold, one of the most atomically dense minerals on earth, can be as clear as glass. How is it that John could see through gold up in heaven when we cannot see through it here. He said it was as clear as glass.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
There is no mistake here. John describes gold as being as transparent as glass.
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
I'm not sure if this had anything to do with what we are covering, but, Moses had been with the lord for a long time. During that time his skin changed. His skin shone - It gave off light.
Mark 9:2 - 4
And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
Here we find another example of a change in the kind of light normally viewed by the human eye. Something changed when Jesus and his disciples came into the presence of God and other heavenly bodies.
Matthew 28:2, 3
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Here is another example of how a heavenly body appears to the human eye. Jesus had risen from the dead and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb. When they arrived they witnessed this phenomena.
Throughout the Bible we find reference to heavenly bodies looking different and instances of light appearing to be different than what we are used to seeing.
In Genesis 1:4
God divided the light from the darkness. If He can divide the light He can also easily portion out (let) given amounts or kinds of light. It is possible that when He said, "Let there be light," He divided only a portion of the light He has available and placed it into our universe. We received light from Him but it obviously was not exactly the same kind of light that exists in Heaven. It is different. From all we can gather it appears to be a lesser light than the light that exists in Heaven. The light that exists in Heaven appears to be a brighter light - one with much more energy. It could be that the atoms contain a higher level of energy. This would probably cause the electrons to travel at a much higher speed around the nucleus of the atom. Instead of traveling at 186,000 miles per second, they may be travling at twice that speed - who knows?
So, why can we not see angels? Angels were created in heaven. The light energy existing within each of their atoms is much greater than the light energy existing within our earthly atoms. Remember what happens when a photon of light strikes a rose petal? The electrons accept the energy and jump to a higher level orbit within their atom and then fall back, releasing the energy. We see that light energy as it enters our eye. But why does this not happen with angels?
You may have noticed that we can see through glass and pure water. Why can we see through these materials and we cannot see through other materials? Because glass and water have a molecular bond so strong that their electrons are held in place. When light energy strikes a pane of glass the electrons are held so tightly that they cannot jump to the next orbit - they cannot absorb the energy from the light striking them. If they cannot absorb the energy, they cannot release it. If no energy is released from an electron within the glass, no light energy is emitted toward our eye. Nothing reflects back at us. The only light reflecting back at us comes from objects on the other side of the glass. This same thing happens with pure water.
Because the photons that carry the energy of light as we know it are limited by our creator, there are some things we cannot see because photons pass through those things. If angels were made in heaven and their heavenly atoms contain enough excess energy, beyond what our earthly photons can affect, when a photon of light strikes the atom of an angel we see the same result as when it strikes glass or water. The electrons remain in place and the photon retains the energy, passing on through. That is why we probably can't see angels.
Now you may be asking, why can we sometimes see angels and why can we not see them most of the time. Do you remember the story of Balaam as he rode upon the ass in Numbers 22? The angel of the Lord stood in his way. He did not see the angel of the Lord but the ass did:
And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Balaam could not see the angel but the animal did. Finally, God did allow Balaam to see the angel in verse 31.
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
So, how can such a thing happen where one can see angels and another cannot, and then everyone can see the angel? Have you ever tried to look through a very thick piece of glass, or down into clear, deep water? You may have noticed that as the glass becomes thicker or the water becomes deeper it becomes more difficult to see through each. Here is the reason for that: Although much of the light striking a normal piece of glass passes on through, a very small percentage of that energy is absorbed by the atoms in that glass. We can't detect it with our eyes but it is absorbed and released as energy at a different frequency. Inferred light is an example of light energy that exists all around us but which we cannot see. But, if someone gives us a pair of high-tech glasses to wear, guess what! Sure enough our eyes can see inferred light.
God is in the business of performing miracles. He heals the sick, changes lives, etc. It was not at all difficult for Him to temporarily change the physical characteristics of vision in the ass upon which Balaam rode that day. He can also do the same today.
Other examples of how God has changed someone's visual characteristics can be found in the following passages:
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
When God sent the two angels to Sodom, warning Lot to leave, and the wicked men of the city came looking for them:
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
After Abraham had sent Hagar away with Ishmael because Sarah had given birth to Isaac, and Hagar had used up all of the water Abraham had given her.
And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
There are probably many other mysteries that can possibly be explained as a result of the differences in light energy between Heaven and earth. One possible explanation as to how God's Holy Spirit can actually dwell within us is one of them. It relates to the same reason that angels can pass through solid objects as Jesus did after His resurrection.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Notice, here, that Jesus appeared while the doors were shut. He came through the walls or the doors without opening them. Spiritual bodies can pass through earthly objects.
Also, we know that Satan's angels can also posses the earthly bodies of people and animals. Recall the maniac of Gadara from Mark 5, and Luke 8.
For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. . . .
Demons are of the same makeup as heavenly angels. They are not visible. How can a spirit dwell within an human or animal body?
The answer probably lies in the difference between the energy contained in an earthly atom and a heavenly atom. Remember how there is mostly empty space between the particles of an atom? Also, recall how the electrons of all earthly atoms repel each other because they have like charges of equal amounts. It is possible for electrons in heavenly atoms to be unaffected by the electrons in earthly atoms because the charges are not equal. If heavenly electrons possess much more energy than those of earthly electrons, when a heavenly spirit moves through the same space as that of an earthly body, the earthly particles simply have to move slightly whenever there is a possible collision with a heavenly particle.
Because there is no equal and opposite reaction between the two atoms neither is affected by the other. We know as Christians that there is a definite difference between someone who is filled with the Spirit and someone who is not. We also know that there are people around us who are demon possessed.
So, there you have a possible explanation as to why we probably cannot see angels. Please note that I have used the word, probably. I'm sure that when I get to Heaven and the Lord looks at me he will probably say, "You came up with the most crazy explanation I have ever heard - but, here is the real reason!" Until then I just have to guess.